


My King (Revised)

by NoelEnough



Series: My King [3]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Achievement Hunter Kings, F/M, High Fantasy, Mutual Pining, Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 22:02:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18352565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoelEnough/pseuds/NoelEnough
Summary: Keryna Stormborne just wanted to be a General, but a casual attempt to show off quickly turned into altering job change. Now the bodyguard for the Mad King, she knows she's in for more than she bargained for.Follow Keryna as she's pulled into the Mad King's mess with nothing more than a "Good Luck" from the people who used to call the King their friend.This is going to be the same general plot line as the original version, but a ton has changed so don't think you'll be reading a slightly more flowery version of the original.





	My King (Revised)

          I knocked on the door and sighed as the voices on the other side of fell to a whisper. General Luna had wanted to speak to me before I was taken from his command and honestly, I wanted to talk to him too.

          When I signed up to try out for the King’s bodyguard, I wanted to use it as an opportunity to improve myself and to get my name out there. If I did well during training, at least I could come out of it with maybe a reassignment or a promotion because of my skills. What I wasn’t expecting was to _actually_ get the job. I don’t think anyone expected me to get it. It wasn’t because I was a woman, there were several other women who tried out, and it wasn’t even that I was a half-elf. No. I expected to get looked over because it seemed like every noble family had a son or daughter in the running.

          I was just a farmers daughter and a bastard at that. I never expected to come out on top, but here I was; Standing outside my commanding officer's door waiting for him to tell me exactly what I had gotten myself into.

          The door cracked open and immediately I was greeted with a familiar wide grin.

          “Keryna!” General Luna sang as he ushered me into his office.

          I was nudged towards a nice wooden chair before the General went back around and sat with a huff. I politely tipped my head towards General McCormick, who nodded back while doing a poor job of hiding his smile.

          Miles was in his early thirties but looked more like he was in his late twenties. Miles Luna was of an average build, with short brown hair and a vibrant smile that made him perfect for his position as a General. The troops loved and trusted him, and he was never afraid to spend time with those considered “below him.”

          Shannon McCormick was only a few years older than Miles, and he was tall and slender, though he could probably beat me and Miles in a fight. He was bald and had bright blue eyes that gave you the impression that he could see everything you were trying to hide. Or maybe that was just his position in the King’s military giving him away. Shannon was the King’s spymaster and was seldom in the city because of his refusal to sit back and let his underlings have all the fun.

          I was close to my superiors. Some grumbled about “brown nosing”, but I wasn’t doing it just to get a raise. I had the goal of becoming a general myself one day, so I figured it would be best to learn what it was like before being thrust into the position. That and Miles and Shannon were kind and generous men who saw potential in me and took it upon themselves to mentor me.

          “Got tired of waiting for an officer’s position to open up?” Shannon teased. “I leave for a year and come back to find out that you’ve become the King’s bodyguard.”

          “That wasn’t the intent,” I huffed as I slouched back into my chair.

          “Then why throw your hat into the ring?”

          “I wanted to show everyone what I can do. Get my name out there,” I shrugged, smiling as they chuckled.

          “And show off you did,” Miles grinned. “Rumor has it that the King ignored the council’s choice and picked you personally.”

          I could feel a blush creep onto my cheeks, but not because of the idea of his Majesty personally choosing me based on my skills. It was because of the other rumor going around that claimed I got the position for another reason.

          “No one important believes that shit,” Miles assured me as my gaze fell.

          “I would argue that the citizens of Achievement City are important,” I grumbled.

          “Did you fuck the King?” Shannon asked.

          _“No!”_ I snapped back, giving him a look of disgust.

          “Then don’t worry about it,” Shannon shrugged. “His Majesty will quash the rumor as soon as he picks up on its scope.”

          “I’m sure he’s heard it by now but hasn’t realized just how many people believe it to be true,” Miles nodded. “He’s not the type to let people believe lies like that. He’s been good about keeping his old reputation as a lady’s man from making a resurgence.”

          Shannon chuckled and I held my head in my hands.

          “What have I gotten myself into?” I asked, more to myself than to the Generals.

          “I get the feeling that’s why we’re all here,” Shannon sighed.

          “It is,” Miles huffed as he leaned forward, interlacing his fingers as he rested his elbows on his desk. “I figured we could help Keryna prepare just a little bit before her lunch with him tomorrow.”

          “How?” Shannon asked with a shake of his head. “I don’t think he’s an entirely different man than he was back then, but he’s definitely different. I wouldn’t claim to know him as well anymore.”

          “I know,” Miles sighed. “And I haven’t been as close to him either, but I don’t want Keryna to go in and get ripped to shreds because she said the wrong thing.”

          I swallowed hard at the thought. The King was known for his hot temper and icy stare. I had served with him indirectly for many years now, often getting assigned to his units whenever there was a dispute that required his special brand of finesse, and I had seen the fire of battle in his eyes. I had seen him lose his temper during the few open courts I had been assigned to stand guard in. And I still wasn’t sure where his lines were.

          “She’s going to piss him off,” Shannon said with a small smile. “She’s been under us for going on nine years now and she still hasn’t been able to get a hold of that sass.”

          I opened my mouth to retort and quickly closed it as they gave me the same knowing look. I rolled my eyes and shifted in my seat.

          “I think that’s a good thing though,” Miles said. “You know he likes people with the nerve to talk back. He hates people who don’t have a sense of humor.”

          “I think it would help to know why he suddenly needs a bodyguard.”

          The two Generals stopped their back and forth to give me a hard look. Not one that gave me the sense that I was in trouble, but one that made me realize that something bigger was going on with the King.

          “Why does the Mad King need a bodyguard?” I repeated, feeling the mood shift.

          “We don’t know anything for sure yet,” Miles began, only continuing when Shannon gave him a small nod. “But there has been talk of an assassination attempt.”

          “That’s why I’ve been gone,” Shannon continued as my jaw dropped. “The King has had me and my spies searching far and wide for potential threats.”

          “So he’s paranoid,” I said as I started twiddling my thumbs.

          “He always has been,” Shannon sighed. “But this is a new level for him. He wouldn’t be using resources like this unless he was sure something was going on.”

          “But?” I asked.

          Shannon looked at Miles for a moment, took a deep breathe, and leaned in close.

          “But I haven’t found a God damned thing,” he muttered. “We’ve been on this since before the tryouts for your position and we haven’t turned up a single thing.”

          “So he believes something is going on and either he’s delirious or it’s very well-hidden.”

          They both gave me an incredulous look and I frowned.

          “You _just_ said this was a bit much for him over nothing,” I said. “So if he has reason to believe that there’s a threat on his life to the point where he feels he can’t protect himself, you have no reason to shut down the possibility that there is something very big and well-hidden going on.”

          Miles looked at Shannon, who still didn’t look convinced, but when they made eye contact he relaxed slightly.

          “And that attitude and mentality are why I think she will last longer than anyone else that tried out,” Miles smiled. “You just need to keep that mouth of your under control long enough for him to trust you and get used to you.”

          “Or?”

          “Or he’ll rip you apart and enjoy the process,” Miles shrugged. “The Mad King wasn’t born overnight like people like to think. Ryan has always liked having power, it’s just that he was given a purpose overnight. Keryna, he is going to bend and push you to test your limits, but _please_ don’t snap at him the first time he triggers that temper of yours. Because he will retaliate tenfold if you challenge his authority.”

          “He was always like this?” I muttered.

          “Sorta,” Miles grinned impishly. “Before becoming King, he took it out in a much more… _private_ manner.”

          My jaw dropped and I felt my cheeks explode with heat.

          “That’s probably why the rumor started,” Shannon sighed heavily through a smile of his own. “People who remember him remember his type. Loud, sarcastic, sharp-witted women who liked it rough.”

          “You have no proof I like it rough,” I said too quickly.

          “Keryna,” Miles scolded. “During training, he broke your nose while sparring and all you did was grin through the blood and fight even harder.”

          I pursed my lips while Miles recounted the tale to Shannon, who had been out of the city by then.

          It had been a few months into the nine-month tryout period, and the King wanted to see the remaining handful of us in action. What we weren’t expecting was that _he_ wanted to fight us. We weren’t sure if we were really allowed to strike him so we were pulling punches, which only served to upset him and make him swing harder. It came to my turn and apparently he had had enough of the glorified dancing. He caught my swing and when he shoved me away, his diamond gauntlet connected with my nose and left me seeing stars. I tasted iron and heard the others go dead silent as I watched the blood drip into the snow. And what I did next was what I was known for.

          My adrenaline spiked to a point where I didn’t feel the pain and I grinned as I launched myself into another attack. The rush of a good fight was something I had become almost addicted to when I was young. I had a twin brother that I always fought with and even then I knew I was meant to be a soldier.

          My sparring match with the King ended with me on my back, pinned to the frozen ground as he held a dagger to my throat. His pupils were blown out and his wicked grin matched mine even as I struggled to regain some control. I could still feel the sharp blade kissing my windpipe and I grit my teeth as I also remembered the very distinct feeling of the King on top of me, holding me down.

          “I know you have the rumor to worry about,” Miles said as Shannon stifled his laughter. “But you should also be very aware that he _may_ flirt with you. He hasn’t been known to do so, but I also doubt he’s been around anyone he’s felt comfortable enough to flirt with.”

          “What are you saying?” I groaned, even though I already had an idea.

          “I’m saying that, while he hasn’t been known to since becoming King, the Ryan Haywood that liked to make the barmaids blush is still in there. I know he is, and if you’re not careful, you might just bring that part of him back out.”


End file.
